Integrating Healthy Food Access into Pedestrian Planning

In Chatham County, North Carolina, like in many other counties across the nation, obesity tops the list of health concerns and nontraditional partnerships are essential to controlling the problem. Last year, the Chatham County Public Health Department reached out to the Town of Siler City to provide a public health perspective in the development of the town’s Pedestrian Master Plan. New data from a health department project that mapped all food vendors in the county and categorized them based on healthy food availability (MyPlate options as well as fresh fruits and vegetables) were incorporated into the planning process. The end result was an innovative plan that took into account access to healthy foods in the prioritization of proposed pedestrian projects, to our knowledge the first of its kind to do so. With its consideration of both physical activity and access to nutrition, the Pedestrian Master Plan offers a greater promise of slowing down the obesity epidemic than a more narrowly-focused plan. This collaboration between health and planning departments has helped both sides reach their objectives and the health department continues to partner with town staff to increase opportunities to be active and eat healthily. While the town works to develop pedestrian infrastructure based on the plan, the health department is working with local corner stores and tiendas to promote healthier food options. These partnerships can create environmental-level changes that build health into the community address public health challenges like obesity.